Bookwitch

What is J K Rowling up to with this court case? As I understand it, she appreciated the work done by Steve Vander Ark, as long as it was online, and he didn’t stand to make lots of money out of it. Now she takes him to court. Maybe the quality of the book isn’t good enough, but then lots of books are pretty bad.

I have to make the obvious comparison here with Philip Pullman. True, he’s not as big as J K. And Laurie Frost did approach him about her idea for a book about his books, before she put too much work in. Philip seemed to think it was  a good idea, and he has written the foreword to Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials; The Definitive Guide. He claims to use Laurie’s book when he needs to remember things he made up earlier.

I think J K said the same about the Lexicon, earlier. That she used it.

When The Golden Compass film came, it brought with it lots of books. Many were film company related, but not all. Not all were good, either, but let the buyer suffer disappointment, then.

Is J K only doing this because her film company can’t stand their rights to Harry Potter being borrowed? Surely, by now, Harry Potter belongs to us all, in some way? I’m writing about him this very moment, so either I’m breaking some law, or I’m not. Actually, since I’m not making money out of this, I suppose it’s OK.

But neither J K or her film company should lose money over fans buying someone else’s book. Unless they were thinking of doing the same?

Laurie’s book will soon be available everywhere, which is good.

I promised you the weird and wonderful world of the Swedish Book Sale. I’ve been in exile for so long that I forget, and then friends will mention it, and enthuse at great length. So, in this day and age of internet shopping at all times, the sale still holds people’s interest.

Swedish books are expensive. And by books we mean hardbacks. That seems to be all that counts. So after a year or two or three, a book will end up in the sale. And that’s it. The year before last when I suddenly needed several copies of Adele Geras’ Facing The Light in translation, I bought the one last remaining copy. It was after the sale, you see.

And when Philip Pullman won the Astrid Lindgren award, they had to reprint His Dark Materials, as it was no longer around. It’s mad.

This year the sale starts on 26th February, and whereas it used to be something like a 7 am start for the aficionados, they are now doing a Harry Potter and opening at midnight. People will have been poring over the catalogue for weeks, ticking and choosing. People “save” themselves for the sale; i.e. they don’t buy something, because they’ll wait for the sale.

As if it wasn’t mad enough, some books are reprinted in an especially cheap edition, purely for the book sale. It’s sometimes the only way to get hold of classics.

Among this year’s offerings are Artemis Fowl and Septimus Heap, Eldest and Wolf Brother, Coraline and Spot, Bob the Builder and The Gruffalo. Special offer on Stieg Larsson, of course, a collection of Dostoevsky and the latest Henning Mankell (that WAS fast). My favourite elk annuals, Tintin and the new unabridged Anne Frank. Already. Coffee table books like Cosmos and dictionaries and atlases, as well as THE basic cook book. Not even English language paperbacks are left in peace. They’re going too.

Good-bye to all that.

And my friends wonder why I buy British, when it comes to books.

I want to know how Zizou Corder knows so much about London sewers. And is it true or just made up? Since the book Lee Raven, Boy Thief is set in the future, I suppose the sewers can be as fictional as they like. But they’re very interesting and only a little disgusting.

Although set in 2046 it has the feel of a Victorian novel, with street urchins all over the place. They may use mobile phones, but it’s very Victorian. And there are lots of references to JK Rowling and to Harry Potter.

The story is about a mysterious book and the many people who come into contact with it. Each chapter is told from a different point of view. It’s a crime novel with a touch of fantasy. One of the themes of the story is dyslexia, and the book is dedicated to all those who find it hard to read. I hope many of them will, somehow, be able to enjoy this book.

The language is refreshingly different from most books. I’m not quite sure how, but it gave me a lot of pleasure just reading it. I’d be interested to know quite how this mother and daughter team do their writing. Most mothers with a teenage daughter wouldn’t dream of trying to write a book with her. Not to quarrel all the time, would be enough to strive for.

Reading Lee Raven, Boy Thief gave me a warm, comfortable feeling. Possibly more so for not expecting much at all. I’d not got round to reading the Lionboy books, so this was my first Zizou Corder. Won’t be the last.

It was a feeling of “YES!” as I started on Nick Green’s sequel to The Cat Kin. Not many books have the wow-factor on page one. I’d been told that Cat’s Paw was even better, but why should I believe what I’m told?

I didn’t manage to get to the book first. When it arrived the Resident IT Consultant grabbed it, in a way that reminded me of how he went for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets immediately on finishing Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. He looked at Cat’s Paw and grinned at the thought of how valuable this Lulu printed copy will be when Nick has become a big name. It’s literature, not an investment!

This time the Cat Kin face a danger worse than last time we saw them. They are seemingly alone, and getting involved with a dangerous group of people isn’t a good idea for a long life. The setting is un-used areas of the London Underground, and it’s very atmospheric.

The relationships between the Cat Kin develop nicely, and their growing skills are amazing. Nick still manages to put in some nice humour, and there’s plenty of action. (It would make for a good film.)

If Faber hadn’t made the mistake of losing Nick and his books, we could have looked forward to book number three now. Quite frankly, I don’t want to wait. But what can I do?

How much influence did she have, the Retired Children’s Librarian? Hmm. Well, she was an adult who read children’s books for a living. And as a family friend she provided me with reading material throughout my childhood. Good books for Christmases and birthdays, and the occasional book left behind after a visit. She also had the good sense to give me LPs once I got to my mid-teens, so she knew when to give up, and it wasn’t even as though I had stopped being a reader.

She, too, was heavily into crime. Still is, now that retirement means she doesn’t have to keep up with all the trends in children’s books. She would come and stay for her holidays, well equipped with crime fiction for the duration. And then she’d leave some behind for me. I used to think it was her being generous. Now I’m beginning to wonder if it was a sneaky plot to get me reading certain books? I particularly remember Craig Rice. Very funny.

The shoe is on the other foot now. I was so enthusiastic about Harry Potter nine years ago, that she bought the first book when it had been translated. I believe she read half of it before chucking it across the room in disgust. And can I get the woman to try Philip Pullman? No, I can’t. Knowing that the Retired Children’s Librarian is not keen on fantasy, I invested in Sally Lockhart and I Was A Rat. Not wanting to do things by half measures, I got them personally signed by Philip. She still doesn’t read them! Sally Lockhart is crime, and everything she likes in a book. Why??

Never mind. The Retired Children’s Librarian has an excellent memory, and it’s still possible to ask detailed questions about books and she’ll remember. I will have forgotten it by next week. So, I wonder if it’s coincidence or influence that I’m a children’s books and crime fanatic, too? What’s more, as I was thinking about books to recommend to less enthusiastic young readers recently, I suddenly remembered, that about thirty years ago the Retired Children’s Librarian wrote a book about that very subject. Coincidence, again.

Just wish I could get her onto the internet. Anything to stop her watching more Midsomer Murders.

Three years ago as the tsunami news spread, I was reading a suitable (or perhaps unsuitable) book. With only days to go before the Whitbread announcement, I’d had this urge to read Geraldine McCaughrean’s Not the End of the World. I am currently, and I know, very belatedly, reading Elizabeth Laird’s Crusade.

We’ll see on Thursday.

Have just watched the programme about J K Rowling on television. The Observer thought it a wasted effort, or some such thing, so I was prepared to hate and sneer. No need. I thought it was a very good portrait of J K.

With minutes to go, it’s rather late to suggest you all watch The Shadow in the North, but I’m sure you’re all intending to anyway.

I have a weakness for talking animals, especially the intelligent kind. There is an irresistible tortoise in Jill Murphy’s The Worst Witch to the Rescue. And a capable toad, who’s not bad, as toads go.

It must be eight years since I last read the Worst Witch books, when Daughter was the right age for them. I think I made it a Worst Witch year, giving everyone a book or audio book for their birthday.

Strange as it seems, I believe even the Resident IT Consultant read the Witch stories, as he was able to make relevant comparisons with Harry Potter. I’m sure Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches was an inspiration for Hogwarts.

I’m glad I came upon the latest Mildred Hubble book right now, as I’m feeling particularly witchy. The pumpkin is ready and so are the treats. I just have a conference to go to before the neighbourhood witches can come calling.

Did I mention how much I like Fred and George Weasley? I think I might have. Well, the other week as the witch, in one of her other incarnations, stuffed envelopes for the Hallé, she became aware that they were coming this way. James and Oliver Phelps, that is.

So blaming it squarely on Daughter’s very impending birthday, we took a friend each and went to see them. It was a family concert, and there were a disconcerting number of fairies and Harry Potters. And a Scooby Doo.

It was very Potterish, with Harry’s music to start with, and Fred and George narrating Peter and the Wolf at the end. They were good.

We argued on the way home over who’s the most good looking of them.

Is it OK for adult female readers to fancy fictional men in (their) children’s books?

After a wet and muddy walk on holiday some years ago I found myself with another couple of mothers, discussing Remus Lupin. I’d secretly found him very attractive in the Prisoner of Azkaban, but then I know I’m weird. Now I was comparing notes with others. And soon after I heard J K Rowling admitting in an interview that she rather liked him too.

If liking a werewolf is bad; is a bear better? An armoured bear. I really like Iorek Byrnison from His Dark Materials. It’s probably not that he’s all that good looking; more that he has integrity and feels safe. And in the audio book he has an attractive voice.

Can anyone suggest other candidates for oldies to like?

I’m ashamed to admit that I only finished Harry this afternoon. It shouldn’t take me a whole week to read what Daughter spent a day on, but there you are. I would have enjoyed taking longer, but fear of disclosure forced me on.

Well, I liked it. It’s become so fashionable to criticise both Harry and Rowling. Can’t we just have a bit of fun and light entertainment? JK got many people reading and I feel that counts for a lot. I have been entertained and so have the rest of the bookwitch household, not to mention all the friends who had Harry rammed down their throats years ago. (I meant well.)

Bye, Harry.